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Community of Practice Handbook - Company Command Posted on April 10th, 2008 by Harold Jarche company-command.jpg Company Command is the most practical community of practice (CoP) implementation guide that I've read so far. It traces the story of the development of an online community designed to share knowledge between US Army company commanders, past and present. If you can get over the military jargon (and even some acronyms that I, an ex-soldier, couldn't figure out) the lessons in this book are transferable to civilian life. Here is a summary of the key concepts from Chapter One: * Knowledge resides primarily in the minds of community members * Connecting members allows knowledge to flow * Relationships, trust and a sense of a professional community are critical factors for an effective community * Content development emerges from needs expressed in conversations * A decentralized network is best

"Online community building is a key role of a the community manager, This role is a fairly new one, and although it has its roots in the roles of those who managed bulletin boards and discussion forums - when they were often known as facilitators - the role is still emerging and evolving. However, the role of a Community Manager is essentially to encourage, foster and support the engagement of participants in the community, although the way this takes place will depend on the nature and purpose of the online community"